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Len ,
I use the cheese grater all the time( half round).
Then take my Da sander to feather edge my paint edge.
Then its a tight skim coat of filler out to the paint edge but not over it .
Then I blocksand.
I was taught that way yrs ago.

i have used them at times. if you are a good metal worker and do not have to pour the filler on very thick without a lot to remove you are better off to work it down with sandpaper rather than taking chances on having gouges from the file to fill. but if there is a lot of filler to remove use the cheeze grater to rough it in.

i cant seem to get the hang of the cut time when using a cheese grater. I've tried a few different times, and it is either too soft and basically just spreads the filler like when you try to spread in that last little bit and little balls form as it starts to harden, except it digs in at the edges so you HAVE to apply another good coat even after blocking it with 36 or 40. OR it will be too hard and it just digs in and leaves useless scratches that have to be glazed a couple times to fill even after the 40 and 80 scratches are filled.

However, i've seen some body men who have been doing this for 30+ years...they grate their first coat, block with 40, then 80, and for large areas, like full panel repairs, they will use a thick polyester glaze after guide coating and blocking with 80 to see the areas requiring the most filler, and block that down with 80 to cut and finish with 180. Two coats and their ready for primer. Me on the other hand, 4, sometimes 5 coats later, and i just have a wavy ass mess. Guess it all just comes with experience.

they work great for cheese but just a weird awkward feel to it but I can see what bunkystrimline is saying. If it's efficient for the user why not? I can't work the file like that but I haven't really felt the need to try, but there are occasions where I feel I need them.

I was told the reason is not just cutting it flat but to remove the waxy surface without smearing it into the mud.

I usually overfill when applying my first coat of filler then level it with a cheese grater because it accomplishes 90% of the filling in a short time while generating no dust.

The trick to the timing is in the name of the tool.... wait until the filler becomes as hard as hard cheese then use the blade by pulling it toward you. This makes quick work out of most of your leveling process.

I never use a blade holder, I tried it once and found that it's more trouble than it's worth. I just hold the blade by the ends pulling it toward me at an angle and the filler comes off like spaghetti.

1. my concern was always that I would push dirt or something in to the filler surface and cause failure down the road.

2. I always thought, that if I have to slap filler on to a degree where I would need a grater to knock it down, I figured that I was applying too much filler in the first place and should maybe get better in prepping the metal.

I always 2nd guess myself when I am working with metal, thinking I should get it better before i coat it.

1. my concern was always that I would push dirt or something in to the filler surface and cause failure down the road.

2. I always thought, that if I have to slap filler on to a degree where I would need a grater to knock it down, I figured that I was applying too much filler in the first place and should maybe get better in prepping the metal.

I always 2nd guess myself when I am working with metal, thinking I should get it better before i coat it.

I am not a professional by any means, hence being apprehensive.

I bad mouthed those who used a cheese grater for years.... until I tried it a few times. Now I use it on almost every first coat of filler because it saves me time and labor greatly reduces the amount of dust. I've tried all shapes and size blades and the ones I sell are the only ones I've found worth using on body filler. If anyone has any other input on different shape and size blades I'd like to hear it but, from my experience, the 10" curved blades are the best. Pull it toward you and a blade holder is not necessary. Wait until the filler is like hard cheese then go for it.

Thanks for the info, not that I really bad mouthed anyone about their technique unless they want to fix rust with bondo, but when I was young, I used the crappy bondo which is like sanding a cinderblock with a nail file, so I tried to put as thin of a coat on as possible to avoid sanding.

It just became a practice for me to use several really think coats and try to get the metal as straight as possible.

I still think I use way too much filler, but I still sand most of it off, so who knows. I don't do this professionally, so what do I know.

I bad mouthed those who used a cheese grater for years.... until I tried it a few times. Now I use it on almost every first coat of filler because it saves me time and labor greatly reduces the amount of dust. I've tried all shapes and size blades and the ones I sell are the only ones I've found worth using on body filler. If anyone has any other input on different shape and size blades I'd like to hear it but, from my experience, the 10" curved blades are the best. Pull it toward you and a blade holder is not necessary. Wait until the filler is like hard cheese then go for it.

Gee...its almost like a religion....

I don't think its do or don't...its just a question of having a useful tool in your arsenal. I do mostly cosmetic work...scratches, dings and the likes...no real large collision so...I rarely have to use it but when I do, I am glad I have one in my toolbox....

I use the same half round model...I find that's the one that is the easiest to control...

I use it on large repairs...large areas or when I will have to do some sculpting, its great and less dusty than the mud hog.....

guys who metal work good use skim coats, which makes a file obsolete along with pinholes(well almost). The other day I was told to not metal work a couple of things. I spent more time recoating it cause I'm not used to piling it on. Guys that don't spend time on metal work either tuck or leave a few spots that are high and mound it on occasion and if it is metalworked good there's no reason to pile it on and say you use a file to not sand cause you've just made yourself more work. I see it as picking your poison. For me personally I like spending more time metalworking it better and when I do so there's no highs or surprises that pop up during filler sanding, but of course it doesn't always work out that way. My aim is to spend more time metal working it, one to two coats of filler, and a topcoat. All skim coats so there's not a lot of sanding anyways. The metal work is like my file that keeps the dust away. In the end you get a better metal worked substrate, less pinholes, less chances that there's air pockets covered, better finish cause you ensured there's no high spots in the metal, and not killing yourself sanding.

Funny that at a mobile company that uses spray can primer they asked me if I wanted to use a file. Yeah, rattle can primer's gonna cover those gouges! If someone ever gave me one of those it'd be in my kitchen. I got a small tool box so only useful tools get a spot.

I never used a cheese grater although some people love them. I like using a guide coat. Some 40 on a board like jimmo said really good

Check it out sometime and you may find this inexpensive tool will help you save a lot of time. Wait until the filler is semi-hard then use the grater by holding it on the ends (no handle required) and pulling it toward you. If you apply your first coat of filler heavily the grater will remove the excess quickly and easily without making the mess that sandpaper makes. After grating you can sand and apply more filler then go with sandpaper on a block, board or machine.

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